Evaluation of Guar Gum as a Novel Adsorbent
Abstract
Guar gum (GG) is a promising product increasingly used in a variety of industries. It is nontoxic, inexpensive, and biodegradable. This research evaluated novel approaches using GG to adsorb aromatic organic water contaminants. Two brands of GG were tested using 5 different GG treatment strategies. Various experiments demonstrated nearly complete removal of Allura Red, Brilliant Blue, Erythrosine B, Methylene Blue, and Tartrazine dyes, as well as 2,4-dinitrotoluene; 78 percent adsorption was observed for Fast Green dye. GG typically removed less than 10 percent of toluene, which rapidly volatilizes. The application of pre-hydrated GG outperformed other GG treatment techniques, and in some instances demonstrated faster adsorption than an equivalent amount of granular activated carbon. Comparatively, usage of dry GG powder required over 1 week to demonstrate appreciable results; methods of GG cleaning, crosslinking, and salification were possible, but not substantially better than using unmodified gum. When dissolved in water, GG has unique spectrum characteristics at wavelengths below 300 nm, likely due to electronic transitions, which vary based on the quantity, age, and brand of GG used. Furthermore, adsorption may be linked to pH, and GG usage results in solution pH decrease, possibly due to production of a member of the carboxylic acid family.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 21, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1077065
Entities
People
- Philicia Geiser
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology